30 — Friday, August 7, 1998 ~ North Shore News >

Sublime paradox of life and death

@ Captain Corelli’s Mandelin — Louis de Bernieres, Minerva 1994, 435 pp, $16.95 paper. IT’S hard to believe that only a few weeks ago I was enthusiasti- cally encouraging North Shore readers to delve into the pages of Caprain Corelli's Mandolin as a respite trom the November-like rain we were experiencing.

Perhaps we all visualized ourselves in its Mediterrancan setting

alittle too well as the temperatures : ; . started to rise soon after. B 0 0 KS Nonetheless, it is a treat for the sens- Pee es to be transported to the Greek island of Cephallonia i in Louis de Bernieres, 1997 Iyrical novel. It’s filled with subtime paradoxes, which pair antitheses such as love and war, glorious food and _ Starvation, music with guniire.

... The sad news is that my book club has dispersed for the sum- mer months and is not meeting again until September. So our anticipated discussion of de Berniercs’ novel has lost some track

of time this month. Nevertheless, Pll attempt to foray into some of the expected fields of discussion so we can move on te a new

selection for August.

Last time, I suggested you analyze the multi-lay- ered themes of love and betrayal. loyalty and the inevitable dichotomies of life during wartime.

Throughout Captain Corelli's Mandolin we are confronted with these themes. A wonderfully poignant example of chis is when the Iralian soldiers are about to be executed and the Captain brings them in to meet their death singing. Music has often been linked with the death march during wartime. But de Bernicres clevates the sad irony by reminding the reader of the carlier, hilarious descriptions of the same soidicrs singing opera on the latrine during morning expurgations.

I also suggested you consider the history and prehistory of the Cephallonians as it pertains to the storyline. In a society so permeated with myth and legend, it is not surprising that the saints and ghosts of current day Cephallonians can readily be believed.

One of the greatest jovs of reading Captain Corelli's Mandolin is de Bernicres use of mammoth, polysvllabie and

MEGAN VERCHERE BOOK REVIEWS

unusual words, It is a treat to read a novel that pro- pels vou to reach for the dictionary every now and then, and yet flows with the case of simple text. Right off the bar, in the first paragraph he uses the word “prestidigitation,” referring to the dislodging of a decades-old pea that had nestled in the ear canal of an older Greek man, thereby rendering him deaf. Pm sure a shorter, more familiar word could have-been’ ’ used, but de Bernieres makes a definitive choice and . it immediately sets the tone of the novel. Some might find this needlessly laborious and some- what pretentious. But I found it to be a perfect sup- plement to the lore of Greek mythology and history which pervades the novel. ; I hope chose of you who haven't read this nov el, do so. And for those looking forward to our August read; as, my book club - isn’t meeting until September, Pve taken the liberty of choosing another book that Pve wanted to read for some time, The God of . Small Things by Arundhati Roy ($16.95, Vintage Canada, 1997). The winner of the 1997 Booker Prize; Roy's tale is of nwo young children in an Indian town who discover their child- hood amidst the tragedy that is their family and surroundings. The novel has garricred innumerable acelaims and fav orable reviews from critics world wide. Happy reading!

ut Don the N ort

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